We are proud to announce The San Diego Padres Top 30 Prospects for 2012.  Peter Friberg has been studying minor league and amateur baseball players for nearly 10 years and has been writing about Padres minor leaguers for approximately eight. Peter has compiled his top 30 prospects in the Padres system for 2012 and this is our first installment featuring prospects 26-30

26. Adys Portillo, RHP, 6’2” 185, Born: Dec. 21, 1991

Adys might be the most exciting pitching prospect in the system. His raw tools rivals those of Joe Ross. He reportedly touched 100 a few times but he cannot hold his stuff/control past three innings. I followed many of his games in 2011 and in the first couple/three innings he would dominate. Then in the fourth or fifth inning it would fall apart. If Adys can add some stamina or learn how to pitch with some restraint (to save some strength deeper into games) he will rocket up this list. Otherwise, he’s a future bullpen arm.

2011 Statistics:

A (MWL): 3-11, 7.11 ERA, 82.1 IP, 89 H, 55/97 BB/SO ratio, 10 HR allowed

27.

Hernandez is a graduate of the Padres Dominican Academy. He has legitimate MLB velocity and avoids giving up free passes. He does give up a few too many hits but his stinginess with walks keeps his WHIP low. An eventual move to the bullpen would not be a surprise.

2011 Statistics

High-A (CAL): 5-0, 2.70 ERA, 56.2 IP, 52 H, 6/44 BB/SO ratio, 3 HR allowed

AA (TL): 3-2, 3.4 ERA, 41.1 IP, 39 H, 10/43 BB/SO ratio, 4 HR allowed

28. Matt Lollis, RHP, 6’7” 230, Born: Sept. 11, 1990

Matt Lollis was one of the more heralded pitching prospects in the Padres system last year. Many experts expected Lollis to develop into the next “it” prospect for the Padres… However, Lollis did not pitch well in 2011. Some of his peripheral numbers were actually better than his results suggested but even as such, he walked far too many and allowed too many hits. There is no way to qualify Lollis’ 2011 campaign as anything other than a big step backwards. Lollis will likely be given another chance to start but his leash will be much shorter in 2012.

2011 Statistics:

A+ (Cal. Lg.): 4-8, 5.35 ERA, 119.1 IP, 135 H, 45/114 BB/SO ratio, 12 HR allowed

29. Michael Kelly, RHP – 6’5” 195, Born: Sept. 6, 1992

Kelly is another athletic toolsy high school-drafted pitching prospect. He can touch 93-94 but reportedly has delivery issues… The Padres have been talking about overhauling his delivery. Doing so could/should be helpful for his future but will likely slow his progress through the system.

2011 Statistics:

(did not play, signed 2012 contract)

Athletic, fast baseball players are usually given a pass among minor league prognosticators… One expert recently rated Fuentes as one of the top 10 minor league outfielders in all of baseball. However, Fuentes does not deserve that hype. He plays exceptional defense. He hits okay… His strike zone discipline appears to have improved slightly from 2010. And with his elite speed, he is quite adept at stealing bases. However, if he wants to make it to the big leagues, Reymund needs to make dramatic strides in cutting down in strikeouts and improving his batting average. His ranking here is purely a function of his speed and athleticism. At some point his production needs to catch up to his potential.

Noteables just outside the top 30

• Zack Cates
• Everett Williams
• John Barbato
• James Needy
• Mark Pope
• Jose Dore
• Jose Ruiz

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